Planning Parties Was Challenge

By Kara Vick

Daily Press

January 13, 2000|By KARA VICK Daily Press

WILLIAMSBURG — Get Martha Hamilton-Phillips cornered and the conversation soon turns to 17th- and 18th-century European history - her passion.

That's why even she is still trying to find the answer to why she has gained a reputation in the area as a party planner. The recently concluded Williamsburg's 300th anniversary celebration was the third tercentenary event she has helped coordinate in the past 12 years.

"Somehow I've gotten involved in these anniversaries,'' she says.

From her soon-to-be empty Williamsburg 300th Anniversary office in the city's municipal building, she explains: the first celebration, in 1988, marked the 300th anniversary of the Glorious Revolution - the spark that started the reign of King William II and Queen Mary II. Even though the anniversary was mostly celebrated in Britain, the College of William and Mary was the headquarters for American involvement.

Her work for the Glorious Revolution consisted mostly of coordinating an exhibition/symposium and reference volume with essays by 46 authors. The book was titled "The Age of William II and Mary II: Power, Politics and Patronage, 1688-1702."

A few years after that event, she was tapped as director for the College of William and Mary's Tercentenary celebration to mark the founding of the college in 1693. The anniversary party lasted a year. The highlights included Charter Day with a visit from Prince Charles, commencement and homecoming.

Lastly, Hamilton-Phillips was asked to head the city's anniversary celebration, which began last year on New Year's Day and ended on New Year's Eve.

The three celebrations, although all were 300th anniversaries, were completely different, Hamilton- Phillips said. With the Glorious Revolution, the event was an international celebration. The college's anniversary focused on the school community. She also had a lot of assistance from the college's development office and public relations office. The budget for the celebration was more than $900,000, collected mostly through alumni donations, philanthropic donations and corporate gifts.

In comparison, the city's celebration had a $300,000 budget, collected mostly from state and local grants. As one of only two paid staff members working on the city celebration, she relied heavily on the hard work of hundreds of volunteers. "Without them, this couldn't have happened,'' she said of the volunteers' work. "They're the real heroes."

The city's anniversary celebration also was challenging because it needed to involve a diverse group of people, from the young to the senior citizens, from long-time residents to newcomers.

The party is not quite over. Although her position officially ended at midnight New Year's Eve, she's finishing up the event's budget and overseeing the publication of "A City Before the State," a book written by more than 20 of Williamsburg's historians. The book, which is scheduled for release in March or April, chronicles the rise of the capital city of Williamsburg when Virginia was still a colony.

When the book is off the press, Hamilton-Phillips is looking forward to spending more time with her family and doing research, writing and lecturing about art history. Later this spring, she'll start looking for a new job in teaching or exhibition of the arts.

Also on her to-do list is writing an owner's manual for anniversary coordinators. She hopes the manual will help other institutions and municipalities plan celebrations. "Special events are a lot of work,'' she said. "I think when you've done something like this, you can do anything, except maybe fix the elevator."

Trist McConnell, former city mayor and chairman of the city's 300th Anniversary, praises Hamilton-Phillips for her dedication to the celebration. "She always had a wonderful outlook on things,'' McConnell said. "She was the person most responsible for the success of this year."

Both McConnell and Hamilton-Phillips will be recognized by the City Council today for their work on Williamsburg's 300th anniversary celebration.

Kara Vick can be reached at 229-3784 or by e-mail at kvick@dailypress.com

MARTHA HAMILTON-PHILLIPS

OCCUPATION: Former executive director of the Williamsburg 300th Anniversary

HOME: York County (a farm that includes 12 acres of forest and pasture, shared by Portuguese water dog "Polo," bearded collie "Iona," and several cats). Native of Charlottesville.

AGE : 48

FAMILY: Husband Robert Maccubbin, a professor of English at the College of William and Mary; stepdaughter Gwyneth Maccubbin, 18; son Aubrey Maccubbin, 12; and daughter Glencora Maccubbin, 9.

EDUCATION: bachelor's from Wellesley College, 1973; master's from University of Pennsylvania, 1976.

GREATEST INSPIRATION: Her mother, Alison Phillips, who died of breast cancer when Martha was 19. Her mother's passion for the arts inspired Martha's research, career and commitment to community service.

HOBBIES: Research and writing for art journals; traveling, especially to Scotland and Italy; gardening; pottery; horseback riding; and MG cars.

OTHER ORGANIZATIONS: Volunteer helping the new Greater Williamsburg Community Trust; member of James City Historical Commission; past board member of Williamsburg Symphonia and other arts organizations; Leadership Historic Triangle (Chamber of Commerce) alumna; and business mentor for Lafayette High School (1999).